The Taste of Mint
by Solora Goldsun
Summary: After having a nightmare about her time with Cinder, only two things can calm Emerald down: the taste of mint, which Cinder had hated, and the comforting presence of her beloved best friend. (Modern AU, hints of Gemstone, mention of past abuse.)
**Greetings, everyone. I had a surprisingly-prolific couple of days this week, and am therefore able to give you something extra. This is my first time typing a Gemstone fic, though I have shipped it for a couple months now. This AU came to me out of the blue one day, and I decided to type a little oneshot from it. I may expand upon it in the future. For now, I hope you enjoy this fic. There are mentions of past abuse throughout and a brief nightmare scene right at the beginning, but nothing overly graphic.**

" _What have I told you about forgetting your place?" that voice, which somehow contained the heat of a thousand suns combined with the coldness of the metal keychain she held, pierced Emerald's eardrums like an ice pick._

" _Please," the skinny, beat-up girl begged. "I won't report you. Just let me go." Her face was so numb that, when Cinder slapped her, she winced more from the sound than from the sting. Her tears had long since dried into salty patches of chapped flesh on her cheeks._

 _Cinder knelt down and cupped her face with a deceptively-gentle hand. "Oh sweetie, I know you won't report me. You've always been so good to me." She kissed her lips softly. "That's why I must punish you for moments like these. I can't bear the thought of you ruining yourself."_

 _Emerald whimpered, but didn't say anything, grateful that she wasn't being slapped anymore. She almost kissed back. Almost._

" _That's my girl," Cinder purred. "Don't worry. I'll let you go. Once I know you won't try to run again."_

 _The chains tightened around Emerald's wrists and she screamed._

Red eyes flew open. The first thing Emerald was aware of was that her skin was drenched with sweat. Her breath was coming in short gasps that barely brought enough oxygen into her body.

As she adjusted to the surrounding darkness, which was much warmer and gentler than what had enveloped her dream self, she managed to gain some control over her racing heart. She looked to her left, where her best friend was sleeping.

Ruby, heavy sleeper that she was, hadn't even stirred in response to Emerald's sudden movement. That was good. Emerald had woken her up two nights ago after having a similar nightmare and didn't want to do so again, no matter how often Ruby insisted it was okay.

 _She's too good to me,_ Emerald thought gloomily. _I shouldn't push my luck._

She moved extra carefully as she got out of bed, making sure to not disturb Ruby, just in case the younger girl was closer to wakefulness than she thought. It was cold without the blankets and Emerald was overcome with an urge to hide under them and pull Ruby close.

Firmly, she turned away and walked down the hall toward the kitchen/living room area in the apartment. There were ways of warming up that didn't involve being a clingy loser, after all.

….

When Ruby woke up to a cold bed, she roused herself almost immediately. She sat up, blinking at the empty spot next to her. A quick glance toward the bathroom told her that Emerald wasn't there. The complete lack of warmth on the other pillow said that she hadn't been in bed for at least a half hour.

As she got up and put on her favorite wolf slippers, Ruby heard movement down the hall along with the clink of dishware. Relieved that her roommate hadn't left the apartment, she used the bathroom and washed her face before going to the kitchen. The stove was on and there was a pot of what smelled like cocoa sitting on it. Emerald sat at the kitchen table, sipping from a red mug printed with green leaves (half of a set of two mugs that Taiyang had given them as a housewarming present). She was staring at the wall with a frown on her face.

Ruby's heart sank. _That's the look she gets when she's had one of her nightmares._ Keeping this in mind, she resisted the urge to hug her friend from behind and instead walked around the table, clearing her throat softly.

Emerald jumped slightly at the sound before relaxing when she saw Ruby's concerned face. "Did I wake you up?" _Damn. I thought I was being quiet._

"No. I woke up on my own." Ruby took her own mug from the cupboard (a green one with little red roses on it). "The cocoa smells good. Is it the minty kind Weiss got us?"

"Yeah." Emerald took a sip from her mug, trying not to glare at her still-trembling hands. "I could make you some of the vanilla kind if you want." She was happy that there was no tremor in her voice, at least. The shadow of her dream had started to fade in the comfort of her well-lit kitchen and the taste of minty chocolate.

"This is fine," Ruby assured her as she filled her mug. She put a few marshmallows in it before sitting down.

With a glance at Emerald for permission, she folded up the clothes that covered most of the table and placed them aside to give herself more room. They were old clothes that Emerald was fixing and adding some embroidery to. It was a hobby of hers: taking used clothes and making them seem new before donating them to local shelters. She also took commissions from people who wanted their own older clothes improved. From the looks of it, she had been doing some extra sewing to calm her nerves while waiting for the cocoa to heat up.

"Are you okay?" Ruby asked, waiting for Emerald to tell her what happened on her own. She glanced at her out of the corner of her eye, avoiding looking directly at her to keep from pressuring her at all.

A warm sensation that had nothing to do with the cocoa bloomed in Emerald's chest. Ruby's concern and obvious caution when dealing with her always made her feel an equal combination of gratitude and shame. She hated being so weak and making Ruby feel like she had to tread on eggshells half the time, but she felt so incredibly happy that the younger girl cared enough to do so.

"I'm better," she muttered. "I'll be able to come to bed soon."

Ruby nodded. "Do you want to talk about it?" she asked, giving her friend another chance to open up if she wanted to.

Refusing to look at those sweet silver eyes, Emerald sighed. "I was at _her_ house. It was the basement. She always used to threaten to chain me up down there if I ever tried to leave. I…dreamed that she found me that night."

"The night you ran away?" Ruby stared intently at Emerald, pushing back the surge of hatred that always went through her whenever Cinder was brought up. Right now, she just needed to listen.

"Yeah." Emerald clenched her eyes shut as she thought back to a night just a few months ago, when she had packed up a bag with her money, ID, credit cards, and sewing supplies and left Cinder's house forever. Her skin had been stinging with fresh handprints, and the cold autumn air had only increased the sensation. She hadn't bothered getting a coat. Cinder had taken hers as punishment for coming home late and she wasn't about to wear a different jacket, which would smell like Cinder and make her tremble more than the chill winds would.

In reality, she had reached the police station unharmed. She called Ruby, who came up minutes later with a murderous Yang and a concerned Taiyang. The family had been ready to storm Cinder's house and drag her through the streets. After filing a report and asking about the process of getting a restraining order, Emerald had gone home with them. She had fallen asleep on the couch with Ruby curled up on the armchair nearby.

A few weeks later, when Ruby mentioned that Yang would be moving in with her girlfriend Blake rather than joining her sister in searching for a new apartment, Emerald readily agreed to be her roommate.

In the dream, Cinder had caught her at the door and dragged her by the hair into that basement. A shiver went through Emerald's body and she put a hand on her head as she remembered the too-real sensation that came partially from memories of actually being dragged. Being chained to a cold wall was something that had never happened, but the fear of being trapped was all too real, with or without the freezing metal bonds.

Ruby scooted closer. "Can I hug you?" she asked, raising one arm hesitantly.

Emerald bit her lip before nodding. When those small arms wrapped around her, she beat down the initial feeling of panic that rose in her mind. She inhaled the scent of chocolate and roses that always seemed to emanate from Ruby, relishing how different it was from the smell of smoke and metal that reminded her of Cinder. Her heart rate, which had picked up at the initial contact, began to calm down.

She breathed a sigh of relief. She was getting better at this. For the longest time, the slightest touch from another person had caused her to flinch away on instinct. Hugs had caused her to freeze and have minor panic attacks. Once, before she had told her friends what Cinder was doing to her, Yang playfully punched her arm and she almost fainted.

Ruby gently rubbed Emerald's back and arms, humming softly to soothe her. She noticed the calming of the older girl's heart rate and smiled. "It's okay, Em. Cinder can't hurt you. Even if she goes against the restraining order, the police are just a phone call away." When choosing their apartment, Ruby had purposefully found a building close to the police station.

"I know, Ruby," Emerald sighed, slowly raising her arms and weakly hugging back. "It's just… She had so much power over me for so long."

Ruby nodded, nuzzling Emerald's shoulder in the process. The relationship with Cinder had lasted for almost a year. Ruby and Emerald became friends six months in, when the two met at the gym.

Emerald had only told Ruby the true source of her extra bruises and fatigue two weeks before she left that house. She often said that Ruby and Yang's ongoing kindness had been the wake-up call she needed, making her realize that the verbal abuse and beatings she had grown used to were not normal and not okay. She had been a very introverted and bullied person before meeting Cinder, and hadn't bothered to question the way she was treated. She had just been happy to have someone who seemed to give a damn about her.

"It wasn't your fault, Em," Ruby said. She said this often, but was always ready to repeat it.

"I know," Emerald replied. She did know that. It had taken awhile to come to that conclusion and actually believe it, but she had gotten there. Again, this was largely due to Ruby. _She does so much for me,_ she found herself thinking glumly. _More than I'll ever deserve._

After holding her for another minute, Ruby moved away and picked up her mug again. The marshmallows had long since dissolved into a thick, sweet foam. She grabbed another handful from the bag and dropped them in before taking a large gulp.

The air felt distinctly cold when the hug ended. Emerald almost reached out to pull Ruby back in again, but held herself back. She didn't want to seem desperate or pathetic. Instead, she finished her cocoa and got up to pour more. She savored the cool flavor that lingered on her tongue.

Cinder had always hated the taste of mint. So, ever since that night, Emerald had made a point of eating as much minty stuff as she could find. It was the sweetest taste she knew. On very rare occasions, she allowed herself to entertain the fantasy of kissing Ruby and tasting traces of mint chocolate chip ice cream, candy canes, or some other recently-consumed treat on her tongue. Generally, she shut down those fantasies as quickly as they came up. They would never come true and, nice as they were, getting her hopes up was just too painful when cruel reality decided to set in.

They finished their cocoa in silence and Emerald turned off the stove and covered what was left before declaring that she was ready for bed. Ruby led her down the hall and back to the bedroom. Due to the small size of the apartment, there was only one. Though they had originally planned on getting twin beds, Ruby had opted for one large bed when she found out that her presence helped Emerald whenever she got scared at night.

"I'm used to sleeping with Yang, anyway," she often said when Emerald brought it up. "It's really no problem."

Once under the covers, Emerald allowed herself to enjoy the warmth of her friend curled up near her, though she definitely could have handled being a bit warmer. She pushed the thought aside. _I've inconvenienced her enough. We have work tomorrow. Just go to sleep, Emerald. Don't be a wuss._

Ruby stayed awake while her friend fell asleep, watching the furrowed brows and slight frown slowly relax. She waited for a few extra minutes to make sure that Emerald wasn't having another nightmare. Once she was satisfied, she carefully touched her fingertips to her friend's wrist before closing her eyes. "Good night, Em," she whispered. "You're going to be okay. I promise."

Emerald didn't hear her, but some subconscious part of her must have registered Ruby's hand, because her fingers moved to weakly grip it. Her dreams were calm for the rest of the night.

 **So, the Gemstone ship has been on my mind a lot lately. I'll go into my predictions more in the upcoming update to The Fate of Remnant, but I feel that Ruby/Emerald is a definite possibility in canon. Emerald has the best chance at getting redeemed out of all the villains, in my opinion. Also, Ruby seemed to be showing definite signs of a crush on her, especially at the beginning of Volume 3. Something I'm convinced of is that Emerald is in love with Cinder. The Beginning of the End gave a lot of hints at their relationship and the likely-abusive nature of it. That's where I got the inspiration for this piece.**

 **I actually have a lot of ideas for this AU and am seriously thinking of writing a more in-depth chapter fic that starts when Emerald and Ruby meet and goes through Emerald's process of escaping Cinder, healing, and falling in love with Ruby. I want to finish College Battle Games before I start on another chapter fic, and I also have a Werewolf AU Arkos chapter fic that I want to type. I may put a poll on my profile to see what people would rather see first.**

 **Please review, but don't flame like Cinder would. And let me know if you'd be interested in seeing this AU expanded upon in the future. Peace out!**


End file.
